It Could Have Been Me
by inatepaz
Summary: Chet learns of the death of his best friend from back home. It will have him questioning his beliefs and his life choices. Johnny will play a key role in helping him figure things out.
1. Chapter 1

It could have been me…

Chapter 1

_Hi wanted to give you a heads up warning, this story will deal with suicide (not a major character), the questioning of one's beliefs and life choices. It will not have any graphic scenes in it as I want my daughter to be able to read it but it will get edgy and suggestive. This story will have references to my other stories I wrote but you by no means have to read them to understand or follow this story, they just might lend more back ground into some of the characters. My stories are by no means Cannon so don't expect them to be exactly like the characters from the show. Finally it has taken me a while to write this chapter so fair warning I write and post slow. I have two teenaged daughters who keep me very busy. As always writers love feedback as it is our only form of payment for what we create. If you have the time or the inclination, please drop me a line or two. Now on to the story._

Chet stared at the paper in his hands. He had read the letter from his mother for the 3rd or 4th time, and still couldn't believe what it said. Why would Joey do something like that? It just didn't add up. Joey was the good one in their group of friends. He was the ultimate in cool; all the little kids looked up to him, all the girls wanted to go out with him, all his friends wanted to be him, and all the adults adored him. He was active in church, the lead altar boy, sang in the choir, and there was even talk of him going into the seminary. His parents were so proud of him that they even signed him up with the Father for extra tutoring in Latin and Theology several nights a week. But most importantly he was Chet's best friend.

Chet gently pulled the newspaper clipping from the envelope and unfolded it. The headline read, "Local man commits suicide." And then under that it read, "Joseph Kellen died yesterday when he stepped in front of an oncoming train." His mother had called that day and told him what had happened. Chet thought she must have been mistaken at first, she couldn't be right; Joey wouldn't take his own life. But she wasn't mistaken, she had been right; Joey did take his own life. Hearing voices approaching the locker room door, Chet shoved the letter and the newspaper clipping back into the envelope and put it on the top shelf of his locker. He grabbed his jacket and shut the locker door as Gage and Marco walked in.

"Hey Chet, Johnny was just telling me about his hot date with that new nurse on 7 East." Marco said as they entered the room. Marco knew that Chet would come back with some smart remark about Johnny's lack of success with women. Johnny would then try to defend himself while trying to best Chet. Marco had to admit that watching the two of them squabble was more fun than watching a barrel full of monkeys. Both of them however were knocked for a loop when Chet simply replied "Glad to hear you had a good time Johnny," as he strolled out the room and into the Bay.

Johnny and Marco stood there for a moment staring at the closed door. "What got into him? I don't know what's scarier, 'Scheming Chet' or 'Nice Chet'," Johnny shook his head and walked toward his locker.

"I wouldn't trust either," Marco said eyeing Johnny's locker.

Johnny paused with his hand on the handle, "You're probably right," he said as he positioned himself on the other side of the door so that he would be out of the range of whatever Chet might have hidden in there. Gently lifting the handle he slowly pulled the door towards himself. When the door was fully open and nothing happened he peered around the edge. Everything looked normal. His extra pair of shoes sat on the bottom, his extra uniform hung on the hanger on the left side of the locker, and his hat sat on the top shelf. Stepping around the door and standing fully in front of his locker, Johnny shrugged his shoulders, "Everything looks okay. Maybe he just had a really good weekend and it's carried over to today?"

"I don't know," Marco said as he shook his head and walked over to his own locker to change, "I would keep an eye on him if I were you."

"What's Chet up to now?" Roy asked as he walked into the Locker room and over to his own locker, having heard Marco's last statement.

"Who said it was Chet?" Johnny asked as he pulled off his t-shirt and put his clean white undershirt and then his blue uniform shirt on. Although he was still a little self-conscious about the scars on his back, he was making efforts to be more relaxed about it in front of close friends and family. Both Roy and Marco were well aware of the scars and the stories behind them and neither one reacted as if there was anything out of the norm.

"Who else would you need to keep an eye on? So, what's the Phantom up to this time?" Roy said as he started to change.

"That's just it," Johnny stated as he traded his jeans for his uniform pants, "it seems like he isn't up to anything, but that is usually when he has some big scheme planned. I mean he actually was low keyed and said he was glad to hear I had a good time on my date this weekend."

Roy shrugged his shoulders, "Well, maybe he just had a really good weekend and it's carried over to today?"

"THAT's what I just said."

"And I still say you should keep an eye on him." Marco said as he closed his locker and headed toward the door.

Having finished changing, Johnny turned and sat down on the shelf in his locker, his slight frame easily fitting between the two walls. Looking expectantly up at Roy, he waited all of a couple seconds before he couldn't wait any longer, "So….."

Roy smiled to himself, knowing Johnny was itching to tell him about his date. "So?"

Johnny looked exasperated, "Aren't you going to ask me how my date with Shelly went?"

Roy looked down at his shirt, concentrating on the buttons.

Johnny started to look a little down hearted, "Well?"

Having finished dressing, Roy closed his locker , looked at his watch and then at his partner, "Okay Junior, you've got five minutes before roll call to give me the highlights and then you can fill me in with all the rest of the details while we check our supply levels."

Johnny bounced out of his locker like a Jack in the Box, "First, let me tell you, this isn't any ordinary lady, no siree. I had suggested that we go hiking and have a picnic lunch, and you know what she did Roy?" Before Roy had a chance to comment Johnny continued on, "Well I'll tell you, she greeted me at the door with honest to goodness hiking boots on and they looked like she had actually used them because they were all worn in, not that fresh out of the box look. And instead of some cute little wicker basket packed with potato salad, finger sandwiches, and wine she had a backpack stocked with granola, fruit, cheese, and water bottles. I mean this girl really knew what she was doing."

"She sounds perfect for you." Roy said smiling as they left the locker room and headed into the apparatus bay.

"Wait until you hear about the hike we went on." Johnny said as the smile on his face got even bigger.

Just at that minute Captain Stanley's voice could be heard booming out from the front of the bay, "Roll Call!"

Roy and Johnny picked up their pace and fell in line with Mike and Marco, leaving a space for Chet who had not fallen in when called. Captain Stanley stood there a minute staring at the door to the dayroom waiting for his second lineman to appear. After another minute he shouted toward the doorway, "Chet! Roll call!"

All the men were quiet as they listed to the sound of a coffee mug being placed on the table and a chair being pushed back. A few seconds later Chet appeared in the doorway and walked over to the lineup and took up his position between Marco and Roy. With a sheepish look on his face he turned to look at his Captain, "Sorry Cap., I must not have heard you the first time."

Hank Stanley's one eyebrow rose, "Well I guess you've got Latrine Duty. You might want to get your hearing checked out."

"Sure Cap, will do." Chet replied looking at a spot on the floor just in front of him.

Hank's other eyebrow rose and all the men turned their heads to stare at the quiet man. "Are you feeling okay Chet?" Hank asked, puzzled by Chet's behavior. He had expected Chet to whine and put up a fuss about being assigned Latrine Duty.

Chet shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, I'm fine. What can I say, you're right. I missed the first call for Roll Call and was late. I've got Latrine Duty. That's just the way it is."

Roy and Johnny exchanged a meaningful glance. Both of them silently agreeing; this was not the norm for Chet, he must be up to something, and that the something most likely had to do with the Latrine. Why else would he be so willing to clean it.

"Alright then," Captain Stanley shrugged, "as for the rest of you, Johnny you've got the dorm room, Roy you're on kitchen duty, Marco and Mike I need you to pull hoses. Let's have a good day today gentlemen."

The men broke up, readying their respective vehicles first, stowing their gear and checking the compartments before splitting up to complete their assigned duties. Johnny headed toward the dorm room and retrieved fresh linens for the beds. The pervious shift strips their own beds and then the oncoming shift makes them. Johnny made short work of the task and then proceeded to sweep the floor, starting in the back and heading towards the front. As he reached the doorway to the bathroom he paused and listened at the door. From the sounds on the other side, Chet was cleaning the showers. Slowly Johnny opened the door and slipped into the back row of lockers. If Chet was going to pull anything today then he would take this time to ready his plan. Patiently Johnny waited as Chet finished the last of the stalls and stowed the cleaning supplies. As Chet walked over to his locker and opened it Johnny's excitement rose. 'This is it, I am finally going to catch Chet setting up another one of his practical jokes and I'll be able to turn the tables on him,' Johnny thought with glee. As Johnny watched, Chet pulled a small envelope out and sat down on the bench in front of the locker. Carefully he pulled something out of the envelope and sat hunched over as if in deep thought. The silence in the room was palpable. Finally Chet stood up, turned back toward his locker and wiping away what appeared to be tears, put the letter back in the locker and closed it. After splashing some cold water on his face from the sinks, Chet headed out to the apparatus bay.

Johnny was puzzled and, he had to admit, a little let down. What had gotten Chet so down that he was actually crying? That wasn't like Chet; Chet never let anything get to him. Stepping out from the shadows of the last row of lockers Johnny quietly walked over to his shift mate's locker. Pausing for a moment and looking toward the door he contemplated his next move. If Chet found out he went through his stuff he would be furious, but there was something definitely wrong and even though he could be a royal pain in the ass Chet was still his friend and he just wanted to help his friend. Having reached his decision, Johnny gently opened the locker and retrieved the envelope. Quickly scanning the letter and then the article Johnny shook his head; "Man Chet, that's heavy." he said quietly to himself as he slid the article and letter back into the envelope and placed it back on the shelf. Knowing that Chet didn't like to make big deals out of things, Johnny resolved to give his friend space but be there should he need to talk. Heading back to the dorm, Johnny finished sweeping the floor and then headed over to the dayroom for some more coffee and to help Roy with the grocery list. Maybe he could convince Roy to add Ice Cream to the list.

The rest of the shift was quiet and subdued. Chet kept to himself most of the time, either reading or watching TV. The couple times anyone tried to engage him in conversation he would make a few brief remarks and then disappear into his book again. During the few runs they did have he was fully engaged and performed flawlessly. As the next shift came to relieve them plans for their days off were discussed. Johnny was going to go over to Roy's to help with a few things around the house, Marco was going to one of his aunt's to celebrate one of his multitude of cousin's birthdays, while Mike and Hank planned on spending time catching up on yard work. Chet made some comment about doing some stuff and then hastily dressed and left as soon as his relief showed up. Hank Stanley spoke for the whole shift as they watched the retreating backside of their shift mate, "Man, I hope that whatever has got Chet so out of sorts passes quickly. It's scary seeing him so quiet."


	2. Chapter 2

It could have been me…

Chapter 2

_HI everyone, I know it has been forever since I started this story and I did warn you that this story would be very slow to update as my life is very full with two teenage girls, work, and everything else. So here is the next chapter. Enjoy, and as always, feedback is greatly appreciated._

The warm California sun beat down on the black top of the parking lot behind the station. It was warm enough to raise a sweat from a round of b ball but not leave you drenched. It had been 48 hours since their last shift and it was shaping up to be a slow one. Roy stood bent over at the waist with his hands on his knees breathing hard. Marco stood next to him with his hands raised ready to catch a passed ball. Although the way Chet was playing he hadn't had much chance to catch the ball or take charge of it and he was feeling a bit frustrated. Chet for his part was dribbling the ball back and forth between hands with a huge almost maniacal grin on his face. Sure he could pass the ball to Marco who was standing almost directly next to the net and was wide open, but how could he pass up the chance to take his favorite Pidgeon down another notch by skirting around him and slamming the ball home. Johnny pushed his hair off is forehead and watched Chet's feet closely. He had survived many beatings in his life learning to watch people's tells and moving before they had a chance to. Johnny watched as Chet raised the ball up and to his right as if to throw it but at the same time he leaned into his left leg and hip indicating he would move in that direction. Johnny calculated that if he moved just a fraction of a second quicker that Chet would hesitate and then be forced to move in the other direction. Johnny would then be able to reach out while Chet was unsteady, tap the ball out of his hands, gain possession of the ball and pass it to Roy who was in position to drop it through the hoop.

So as soon as Chet faked to the right, Johnny moved to the left, but instead of Chet hesitating and changing directions he slammed straight through Johnny, knocking him to the ground, driving past him and sinking the ball through the hoop. Chet retrieved the ball and walked over to get a high five from his team mate, but Marco was staring at him as if he had grown a second head.

"Geeze Chet!" Marco exclaimed.

"What?" Chet replied, truly not understanding his friend's reaction. Was Marco really that upset that he didn't pass him the ball?

"Did you have to be so ruff?" Marco stated, pointing behind his perplexed friend.

Chet turned around to see Johnny lying on his back with his knees bent and Roy crouched down next to him. Chet rolled his eyes looked up to the sky and groaned before walking over to his other two shift mates. "Oh come on, I barely bumped him. Your fine Gage, get up and shake it off like a man."

"He's right Roy, I'll be fine." Johnny stated as he scrunched his face and attempted to sit up but was stopped by the hand on his chest.

"Your head literally BOUNCED of the pavement Johnny. I'll be the one to decide if you are fine or if we need to run you over to Rampart." Roy declared. "Now open your eyes and let me see your pupils"

Johnny opened his eyes and immediately slammed them shut again. This worried Roy, "Talk to me Johnny, tell me what's going on, is the light hurting your eyes?"

"I'm lying on my back staring up into the noon time sun, of course it's going to hurt," he replied sounding slightly miffed. "Come on Roy, I promise, I'm fi .. OUCH!" Johnny shouted, rolling away from the probing fingers on the back of his skull.

"Yep, figured a much, you've got a pretty big bump going on back there." Roy stated.

At that moment Cap trotted over from the open back bay doors. "Roy, everything okay? Mike said that Johnny took a bit of a spill"

"I'm fine." Johnny piped up.

"We're still debating that," Roy added, "I'll tell you what, let's go inside and put some ice on that bump and we'll revisit the Rampart discussion in an hour, deal?"

Johnny pursed his lips and then huffed out, "Deal."

Roy slowly helped Johnny to his feet and the two of them followed Cap, Marco, and Mike back into the Station. As they walked into the bay Johnny partially turned back in time to see Chet angrily slam the ball into the side of the station. Johnny was worried; this was a complete opposite of the quiet reserved Chet of last shift. What had changed so much in 48 hours? Could the death of his friend be affecting him that much? Johnny resolved to keep a close eye on his friend and help him out where and when ever he needed.

"So anyone mind telling me what happened out there?" Cap said as Johnny was guided to one of the chairs at the table. Roy busied himself with putting ice in the bag Mike had fetched from the squad and Marco suddenly found his shoes very interesting. "John, how about we start with you? How did you end up on your back with a knot on your head big enough to make Roy worried."

"Aw Cap, it's nothing really. You know Roy would be all worried even if I just stubbed my toe." Johnny replied, trying to down play the situation.

"Watch it Junior," Roy said as he placed the ice bag on Johnny's head and then picked up Johnny's hand and placed it on the bag to hold it in place. "Someone has to keep an eye on you."

"I'm still waiting on an explanation." Captain Stanley said crossing his arms in front of him.

"Well Cap you see it was like this, Chet had the ball and I was squared off against him.." Johnny started when Chet walked into the room and interrupted, "What's wrong Gagey Baby, Basketball too much of a manly sport for you? Got to start whining over a little bump and blame me for being too aggressive?"

"Nooo Chet, I was actually going to just tell them the truth, I missed judged which direction you were heading and when I tried to correct for it I tripped over my own feet, wound up in your line of travel and bumped into you before falling and hitting my head."

Not one to pass up a great come back Chet smirked, "Well glad you didn't hit anything too important."

Captain Stanley shook his head¸ "Chet, go find something useful to do and lay off Johnny. Roy, keep an eye on your partner and let me know if anything changes. I'm going to be in my office doing paperwork."

After what seemed like an eternity of just sitting with an icepack on his head but was in actuality only an hour, Roy finally declared that the bump on the back of Johnny's head had gone down significantly enough that a trip to Rampart was not warranted.

A short time later the station received their first call of the day, a two alarm structural fire, and the whole team jumped into action. Being second on the scene Captain Stanley checked in with 38's Captain on where their assistance was needed and then jogged back to dispatch his men who were suited up and ready.

"Alright men, 38's Paramedics are in making a sweep and their guys are backing them up with their hose. Chet and Marco I need you to pull an inch and ½ and go in and make sure the exits stay clear. Roy and Johnny I want you to man a second hose for now but keep your eyes and ears open incase 38 needs extra help."

With Mike at the controls on the Engine, within moments 51's men were in place providing the support needed. The inside of the warehouse was hot and steamy, and although 38's men had put a good dent in the fire, flames were still licking up the walls on the perimeters. Marco and Chet went to the right and Johnny and Roy took the left both teams keeping an eye on the steps in the center which 38's hose disappeared up.

A few minutes, later one of 38's Paramedics came down the steps supporting a middle aged man. Johnny and Roy shut off their hose and laid it down before rushing over to assist. "Hey Carl," Roy shouted above the noise in the building while slipping the victim's other arm over his shoulder, "Let me give you a hand."

"Thanks Roy," Carl huffed out, catching his breath before turning to Johnny, "Ed could use a hand up there. There's a second guy up there who is quite a bit bigger than this guy." Nodding, Johnny turned to head up the stairs.

It wasn't long before Johnny and 38's other Paramedic, Ed appeared at the top of the steps supporting a large man that must have weighed twice as much as Johnny. They only made it down a couple steps before the injured man collapsed, taking Johnny with him in a jumble of arms and legs and a flying helmet.

Chet who had witnessed the whole thing, grabbed his handy talky and radioed his captain for back up before signaling Marco that he was letting go of their hose. As Marco braced to man the hose alone, Chet jogged over to give Ed a hand in separating the victim and Johnny. The last of his limbs, his right foot, was finally freed when Cap jogged up with Roy hot on his heels. "John, you okay?" Roy inquired as he gave his young partner the once over.

"Yeah¸ I'm fine," Johnny replied as he stood up and brushed himself off. "The other guy was on the bottom for most of the trip down the steps."

Not looking entirely convinced, Cap as he was prone to do, erred on the side of caution, "I think it would be best if Roy checked you out. Go find your helmet and meet us outside. Chet, grab Roy and Johnny's line and help 38's crew mop up." Turning so as to cut off any further discussion, Cap helped Roy and Ed lift and carry the second victim out of the building.

As Johnny turned to retrieve his helmet Chet headed toward the hose lying on the cement floor. Chet barely made it a dozen steps when an ominous groan came from the ceiling above them. Turning he saw, as if in slow motion, the ceiling above Johnny start to buckle and boards start to snap. In a flash Chet turned and sprinted toward Johnny, ramming into him at full force seconds before the ceiling came down. Chet, unable to get clear of the area crouched down low and let the debris bounce off his helmet and back. Johnny, who had been pushed mostly clear of the area curled up on his side and put his hands over his heads. After the loud roar of the falling debris settled down shouts could be heard as 38's linemen rushed down the steps and joined Marco in pulling boards and plaster from the two semi buried firefighters. They made short work of it and soon were making their way out of the deteriorating building. Marco insisted on helping Chet all the way to the triage area much to Chet's great protestations. Johnny, walking with a slight limp followed.

Looking from Chet to Johnny, and knowing he wouldn't get a straight answer from either one of them, Roy turned to Marco. "What do we got Marco?" Roy asked as he ran a critical eye over his two shift mates.

"A section of the ceiling collapsed right over top of Johnny as he went to retrieve his helmet. Chet was able to push Johnny out of the way of most of the debris and ended up taking the brunt of the collapse." Marco replied.

"I'm fine Roy," both Chet and Johnny chimed in.

"Why don't we let Rampart determine that," Roy stated, immediately holding up his hands to forestall the forth coming protestations, "Don't even try to pull the tough guy routines; I am sure Cap will back me up. Don't make me call him over here."

The two, knowing when they've been defeated, followed Roy to the back of the squad and sat down on the bumper. Roy checked with 38"s paramedics who were finishing up and preparing to transport the two victims from the warehouse. With agreement from the Captains, it was decided to that Carl would ride in with the two victims and Roy would follow in the squad and bring Johnny and Chet in with him. Ed would stay at the scene with 38's squad incase further assistance was needed.

A short ride later Roy escorted a reluctant duo through the bay doors into the busy emergency department of Rampart. "It looks like they're pretty slammed Roy," Johnny commented, "I barely got touched by that collapse, and we can keep an eye on Chet back at the station. If he starts acting any stranger than usual we can always bring him back later."

"Hey, watch who you're calling strange, Gage." Chet retorted back, socking Johnny in the arm playfully, albeit a little forcefully.

"Ow, watch it," Johnny said rubbing his shoulder.

Roy merely glanced back at them as if to say 'do I really need to separate you two' before continuing on to the nurse's station. Kelly Bracket was approaching the station from the direction of the exam rooms. "Hey, Dr. Bracket, would you have a moment to check these two out? They had a partial ceiling collapse on them. They both claim they are fine, but Cap would like them to be officially cleared to return to duty, if you say they can."

Bracket raised one eyebrow and looked quizzically at the two firefighters standing behind Roy. "I have a few moments while I'm waiting on so lab results. Gentlemen I believe exam room 4 is open." Turning, he led the way down the hall.

"Okay, so tell me what happened, and why Roy and Captain Stanley feel you two need checked out." Dr. Bracket stated as they stepped into the room.

"I happened to notice that a portion of the ceiling above Johnny was starting to buckle and since he didn't have his helmet on, I pushed him out of the way. Some of the ceiling gave way and rained some debris down on us." Chet stated, downplaying the whole situation.

"And why didn't Johnny have his helmet on?" the doctor asked, crossing his arms.

"I guess it flew off when one of the victims toppled over and dragged him down a flight of stairs." Chet said as he shrugged his shoulders, wincing slightly at the sore muscles in his back.

"Fell down a flight of steps?" Dr, Bracket said with some alarm.

"It was really nothing Doc," Johnny quickly jumped in, "the victim was on top most of the time."

"Mmhmm, well let me take a look. Take off your top and hop up on the exam table Johnny," Bracket said as he gestured, to the table in the middle of the room.

Sighing, Johnny took off his blue uniform shirt and jumped up on the exam table. "T-shirt too," Bracket stated as he reached into his pocket to pullout a pen light.

Johnny's popped open to protest and then snapped shut again as he saw the determination in both Roy and Bracket's eyes. It was only due to the fact that he had experience much worse pain in his youth, that allowed him to keep a straight face and not react to the pain in his right shoulder as he pulled the shirt up and over his head. Bracket however immediately noticed the start of an impressive bruise on the young paramedics right shoulder blade.

"I thought you guys said that Johnny didn't get hit by any of the debris," Bracket queried as he probed the should.

Johnny looked back over his shoulder to where the doctor was palpitating, "I didn't get hit by any debris. That's probably where I got hit by Chet when he knocked me out of the way."

"Seems like it might have been a bit rough, if it left a bruise through a turn out coat," Bracket questioned while looking over his shoulder to where Chet stood.

"You know how it is Doc," Chet said as he shrugged and again slightly winced, "the heat of the battle and such, I knew I had to get Gage out of there, so I did what had to be done. Besides, we're all guys, we can take a little roughhousing, right Gage."

Johnny looked questioningly as Chet as he tried to figure out when all this Machoism was coming from. Finally he replied, "Yeah, what Chet said."

"Well, next time try not to be so rough when you roughhouse." Bracket said as he looked from Johnny to Chet and then back to Johnny again. "There doesn't seem to be any damage at least. Any other areas of concern I need to know about?"

"No," Johnny immediately responded as he made to grab his shirts and hop down off the table.

"Yes," Roy chimed in at the same time. "As he was coming out of the building, he was limping slightly and favoring his right ankle.

Johnny's shoulders sagged as Bracket reached down and snagged his foot before he could move any further off the table. After some more probing, and twisting, and flexing, Bracket determined Johnny hadn't sustained any significant damaged to his ankle. He was advised however to rest for the next couple hours if possible with his leg elevated.

"Alright Chet, don't think I didn't notice your discomfort when you shrugged your shoulders" Bracket said as he saw the fireman turning to leave the room. "You know the drill, up on the table and take off your shirt and undershirt."

After a brief exam, it was determined that Chet had only minor bruising to his shoulders where some of the bigger pieces had hit him. He was cautioned to take it easy and if the pain increased he was having any difficulty in moving his arms or head to come back to the ER.

With that, Bracket cleared them to return to the station. Chet and Johnny practically fled the ER with Roy following along after thanking Doctor Bracket for his time.

When they reached the squad Johnny checked in with dispatch who released them to return to quarters stating that the 51'e Engine would be released shortly too.

The rest of the shift progressed as normal for the most part except instead of a quiet and reserved Chet the crew was 'treated' to a loud and semi obnoxious Chet. Loud commentary on the basketball game on the tube was followed up with several stories of his sexual prowess with the ladies. Johnny and Roy were given several reprieves as the squad was kept busy and the Engine was dispatched to their 'obligatory' dumpster fire in the middle of the night.

Of course, no shift with an obnoxious Chet would be complete if the Phantom didn't make an appearance. Thankfully for his favorite Pidgeon, the very large bucket of ice water rigged to dump on the top of his head, happened at the end of their shift as Johnny was heading from the bathroom to the locker room and he had not yet changed into his civies.

"CHET!" Johnny's cry could be heard all the way into the Captain's office. All hands came running and they piled through the door to see a thoroughly drenched Johnny looking like a drowned puppy standing in a rather large puddle of water.

Chet burst into peals of laughter, Marco and Mike did their best to stifle the chuckles threatening to escape their lips, and Roy and Cap simultaneously sighed and shook their heads.

"Okay Chester, since you seem to be getting the most pleasure out of this, go grab a mop and clean up the floor. Mike and Marco, since B shift is here if you can just grab your stuff and head on out. Roy, could you grab Johnny his clothes he was going to change into so he doesn't track water all over the place," Cap directed. He then turned to the youngest member of the team, "Johnny, besides being soaked to the bone, are you okay?"

"Yeah Cap, I guess I should be thankful I hadn't changed yet." Johnny replied with a slight grin.

"Okay then, when you're all dried up you can head on out. Have a good weekend, see you in 48." Cap said as he turned to head back to the office to finish the hand off with B shift's captain.

A few moments later Roy returned with Johnny's duffle bag. "You going to be okay Junior?" Roy asked as he handed the bag over.

"Yeah I'm fine Roy. Go on home, I'll see you tomorrow to help with taking down that tree in your back yard." Johnny replied.

"Okay, see you then," Roy said as he turned and left.

Johnny headed for one of the shower stalls where he peeled off his wet clothes, dried off and then slipped on is clean dry jeans and shirt.

Stepping out of the bathroom Johnny skirted around Chet who was just finishing mopping up the last of the water on the floor. Johnny went over to his locker and retrieved his boots and sat down on the bench to slip them on. Chet walked over to the row of sinks and washed and dried his hands. Johnny stood and turned to head for the door but stopped and before he could change his mind decided to confront Chet.

"Chet, I kinda know why you've been down these past couple shifts and acting stranger than normal." Johnny said as Chet turned from the row of sinks.

"Watch who you're calling strange Gage," Chet interjected.

"As I was saying, now don't get upset or anything, but I know why you were kinda down. I read that letter and newspaper article about your friend getting killed by the train."

"You went snooping in my stuff and read something that wasn't yours!" Chet raised his voice and took a few steps toward Johnny.

Johnny immediately retreated a few steps and brought his hands up to shield his face, "I … I'm sorry, you j ... just seemed so s … sad and then this shift y .. you were acting all … all macho and stuff."

"Shit Gage, I'm not going to hit you," Chet said, turning around back around towards the mirrors and leaning on the counter top with his two hands. "You had no right, no right what so ever. You should have just put the damn letter back where you found it and left well enough alone." And then quietly almost under his breath, "besides, that was only the tip of the iceberg, you wouldn't want to know what lies beneath the surface."

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Johnny stared at the back of the man that had always been a thorn in his side. "Why don't you give me a try? If you recall, I do have experience dealing with things that lay beneath the surface."

Chet stared at the countertop for a long time in silence before looking up at the image in the mirror of the man standing behind him. "You know what Gage, you more than anyone just might understand. But not here. Why don't you meet me tonight at Jake's. I might need a few drinks first."

"Meet you at seven then." Johnny replied and then gathered his stuff and head out back to his Rover.


End file.
